Welcome to the Fold
by The Third Biker Scholar
Summary: AU: Kagome's been made into a vampire for aspecific purpose in mind, and to help her reach her goal, she's been given a pet werewolf. his name's inuyasha....
1. Default Chapter

Hi guys! Inuficcrzy, out with another inu fic. This one's very diff in tone from what I usually do, so let me know if you like it or no. if the beginning's confusing, don't worry, it clears up on its own in the next chaps.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
Chp 1: Welcome to the fold  
  
Something was dripping into her mouth.  
  
It tasted thick and coppery, bittersweet. And it was way too cool to be a bad batch of coffee. Kagome groaned, trying to move her mouth away from that harsh stuff, but it followed her movement.   
  
"Drink," said a cold commanding voice. A large rough hand reached behind her head, lifting it to a better angle so she could swallow properly. Kagome drank some more of the stuff, wincing at the taste. But she had to admit, she felt better for it. It made an odd feeling in her body, like it was seeping into her very blood. The voice spoke again. "Drink your fill. You will need to feed after so much sleep."  
  
The girl blinked her eyes, trying to focus on whatever was near her mouth. It pulled away from her gaze. "S-sleep?" she asked softly. Somehow, that didn't feel right. Like she hadn't been sleeping at all. Her body felt sore, like she'd been out doing punishing work with no breaks for hours, and her skin was burning. It felt like sunburn. And her eyes seemed to be glued shut. Whatever she'd been doing, sleep was not it. "How long have I slept?"  
  
"Roughly three days. Get up, girl. You have much to do for me."  
  
Kagome tried to get up, but nothing wanted to respond. The hands reached again for her and helped pull her up. Ugh, she thought to herself. It certainly seemed like she'd slept in the same clothes for days. Her jeans were twisted around her waist and legs, very uncomfortable. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and her vision began to clear. She just wished the fog in her brain would lift as easily. She shook her head, bad idea. A headache the size of a small continent began to make itself known, and she grabbed her head to try and block out some of it.  
  
She was in what looked like a large sitting room. She couldn't see much of it, only a single candle burned in the entire room. Suddenly the girl felt something inside her shift. The room suddenly was bright enough to read fine print and count every wrinkle in her yellow shirt. Her vision had just gotten a lot better.  
  
It was a room full of dust and cobwebs. Old furniture that hadn't been cleaned in decades lined the room. Paintings on the walls were partially covered with sheets, some stained with dark brown spots and splashes. The something in her shifted once more, getting comfortable, and she suddenly could identify what the spots were. They were blood. Old dried blood. She knew it was years old. By scent alone. She could smell dust, old cigar smoke, cheap cigarette smoke, even the city pollution outside. She could also smell dog.  
  
Or what she thought was dog. It was mixed thoroughly with human smell, and something that almost burned her nose. Something electric, but not. Something old and wild.  
  
Magic, the something not quite whispered. It's the smell of magic, the power of werewolves. Man and dog and magic. Kagome didn't question were such surety of knowledge came from, but just accepted it for now. This was not the time to panic.  
  
Werewolves. And they had been all over the place. Dozens of their scents were but a few hours old in the room, and she could tell that they were all still in the house. The one that was freshest was coming from behind her. A male, she knew. A very strong male in great physical condition. He smelled-healthy was the only word she knew for it, not knowing how she knew. He knew some magic of his own, she thought. Some parts of him smell of stronger magic than the rest of him. She didn't try to turn around to see him just yet, afraid of making her headache worse.  
  
She sniffed again. She could smell something disgusting. Rotting blood and perfume were not meant to mix. There was something else she was picking up. A woman smell, she realized. Covered with a different sort of magic, an older magic than the werewolf. A vampire. The magic smell was strong. She's powerful, Kagome thought. Whoever she is, she's old and powerful. She looked up to see the female vampire.  
  
She was sitting on a long chase couch, legs curled under her. A long white and red fan dangled from one of her wrists. She was dressed in a long silk red robe. It was partially open, exposing her breasts to the room. Her black hair was wound on top of her head in a loose bun, and her eyes were partially open. They were the red color of blood, the color dripping off the woman's lips. One of her fangs came over her lower lip as she smiled.  
  
"Welcome to the world of the vampires, Kagome. I am Kagura, your sire."  
  
~*~*~*~**~**~*~*~*~*~*  
  
how do you like that? R & R, peeps, let me know if its any good! 


	2. learning the trade

Thanks for the reviews, keep 'em coming!  
  
still no own inu.  
  
Chap 2: Good morning, sunshine  
  
Welcome? Kagome thought in mild panic. What does she mean, welcome? Am I- she felt inside her mouth with her tongue and gasped at the feel of long sharp canines-am I vampire?! This was just too much. But the something in her told her to calm down once more. She could deal with the reality of this later, but she had to stay calm for now.   
  
The werewolf that had been helping her stand moved his hands from her waist and shoulders and walked over to stand behind the woman's couch. Catching her first glimpse of the werewolf made Kagome forget her thoughts and nearly gasp aloud. He was gorgeous.   
  
Tall, easily over six and a half feet tall, with long white hair past the small of his back. His half lidded eyes were golden, and three bright magenta strips were tattooed on his face. He wore a white button shirt and black pants. A long black coat matched the boots on his feet, and what looked like twin swords were hung on the belt slung across his hips. The werewolf brushed a hand over his wrist, and Kagome caught sight of the red smear on his arm. The cut was small and already scabbing over. 'His blood,' she thought in horror. 'I was drinking his blood.'   
  
"I see you like my pet, Sesshomaru. He's a werewolf, and the head of their clan." Kagura snapped her fingers and Sesshomaru knelt beside her. She held out her hand and he licked the back of it. "He's my personal pet. He'll give you one of your own to train and keep."   
  
Kagome frowned in confusion and worry. "Train? What? What is going on?"   
  
"You don't know what you are yet. I'll explain." She flicked her wrist and Sesshomaru was dismissed to the end of the room. He stood with his back to the wall, a Clint Eastwood pose with his head down. Kagura smiled. "You are now a member of the proud race of vampires. We are the ultimate in evolution. The final link of the food chain. You are no longer prey. Nothing is your predator, you are the last hunter.   
  
"Vampires have existed since the dawn of time. We are gifted with incredible strength and jumping abilities. The night is as clear to us as day, and you now have the fine tuned senses of the best hunting animals. Your hearing and scent are now sharp enough to hear a drop of blood fall fifty feet away on a busy street, and follow the bleeder's scent for five miles on the strength of that one drop."   
  
"But-"   
  
Kagura looked at her sharply for the interruption. "What?"   
  
"Are vampire legends true?" Kagura laughed, and Kagome winced. That was not a healthy sound. "No reflections, can't pass into a house uninvited, hates garlic, that sort of thing?" The miko girl nodded. "Not a bit of it. The mirror and invitation trick only works on specters, the ghost of vampires, not living ones. Garlic is just too strong a smell, but it will not stop us."   
  
"But I'm-I was a miko." 'At least, I was in training to be one.' "How can I be a vampire?"   
  
"You mean that rubbish about not being able to touch holy objects and people? Not all vampires can touch holy things, this is true, but the most powerful can. It would burn their hands, but it's possible. The more malice and hate in a vampire's heart, the more demonic they become."   
  
"S-so if a good person becomes a vampire, they'll become-(gulp)-evil?"   
  
"No," Kagura said flatly. "A vampire is still person. We can be evil or neutral. There are no good vampires to my knowledge, just some that won't harm humans for sport. They deny their gift the blood it needs to flourish."   
  
"The blood?"   
  
"We do not have to exist solely on blood. We can eat food like humans, but all it does is sustain the body. The more a vampire feeds, the more powerful they become. Especially if they drink the heart blood of a powerful human."   
  
Kagome was beginning to feel remarkably like a parrot. "Powerful?"   
  
"People strong of will or of magic, like witches, sorcerers, warriors, or priests."   
  
"Why didn't you drink my heart blood?" 'Not that I'm complaining, but still.' "I know I'm just a miko in training, but"-   
  
"You ask a lot of questions, little girl," Kagura said coldly. "I wanted you for a reason. Since you can still use you powers, if you have any," she said sardonically, "you can fetch a certain holy object for me. A sacred halberd that can control the waves and winds of the sea. It's kept at a small temple, guarded by a single monk. An easy enough task even for a newborn vampire."   
  
Kagome frowned, "Then why do you need--" her face cleared with understanding. "You can't enter the temple grounds, can you?"   
  
"No, none of us can. We are all," she chuckled mirthlessly, "demonic in nature. But you are still pure of heart. You an easily fetch the halberd for me."   
  
Kagome glared outright at the vampire. "What makes you so sure I'll do as you say?"   
  
Kagura smiled craftily. "Your aunt is still in town isn't she? She's been looking for you for the past three days, wandering the city. You wouldn't want her to run into something nasty, would you?" She grinned as Kagome's look of defiance crumpled like paper.   
  
If looks could kill, Kagura would be writhing on the floor if Kagome had her way. "But how am I supposed to get this halberd? And what about the stake thing?"   
  
Kagura paused. "The 'stake thing,' as you put it, is true. It is very hard to kill a vampire, we are very long lived. Ordinary weapons can't hurt us for long, we can heal almost instantly. But if a stake is driven through a vampire's heart, or their head is taken off, death is instantaneous."   
  
Then came Kagome's real worry. "What about sunlight?"   
  
Kagura scowled. "Only a vampire that hasn't killed can walk in the light. Otherwise, adios."   
  
Another thought came to the girl. "I'm no fighter."   
  
"That's where your new pet comes in. We are served by our creations, the werewolves." She gestured to Sesshomaru. "We forced the magic of dog demons to inhabit the bodies of ordinary humans. That rubbish about biting to make more werewolves is not true; it requires a very specific spell. They are all spelled with collars to control them, each with a single subduing word. Each word is different, and a different affect on the werewolf. That's how they can be trained. think of it like choke-chain commands." Kagura smiled, and Kagome visibly shivered. that was just so- cruel and sadistic. Kagome decided if she hadn't outright hated that thing- she no longer deserved the title of woman-she would have right then.   
  
"They run in packs they call clans, and each 'clan' is linked to one line of vampire. Sesshomaru is eternally bound to my line, I created him myself. I've had centuries to train him to my exact tastes." Kagome caught Sesshomaru giving out a very slight shudder, and quailed at the thought of just what tastes Kagura was referring to. He's bound to give a werewolf to each of my vampires, and they will serve my children until death, sometimes beyond. Their blood isn't as sweet as a human's, but if you're in need of a quick bite," the vampire still got a kick at the old pun, "they'll do.   
  
"Its damn near impossible to bleed them to death, their blood regenerates, so you can gorge yourself and not need to worry about loosing a pet. Oh, but keep them away from anything silver. It weakens them like poison, thins their blood so they can die from it, so don't let any polish your jewelry." Kagura smiled in obvious pleasure at a memory, and Kagome just knew she'd made some poor werewolf do just that to watch them be in pain. "Show her the new pet she gets to keep."  
  
Sesshomaru gestured to the hall and two other werewolves came in carrying a third. The healthy two looked slightly like Sesshomaru in that they had gold eyes, but their other features were different colors and sizes. But the third one that they carried could have passed for Sesshomaru's brother. He had long white hair too, and the same pale features. The only difference was that he had dog ears right on top of his head.  
  
But this young man, boy even, was not as in good a shape. As in, he was bleeding from multiple cuts and wounds. He had a collar and a leash tied around his neck, and Sesshomaru picked this up. He led the trio over to Kagome and put him down before her, handing her the leash. The boy managed to kneel, or rather, it was all he could do to stop from going on the floor in a heap. Sesshomaru said, "His name is Inuyasha."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~* how that? hope you all like it, please review!! 


	3. bloody introductions

Wow. Someone actually likes this story! Here's more for you, enjoy!  
  
Me no own inu.  
  
Chap 3: Bloody introductions  
  
"He'll take care of the priest while you steal the halberd," Kagura said.   
  
Kagome stared, horrified at the leash in her hand. You can't be serious, she thought. He's hurt so badly-   
  
"I'll give your pet a day to heal before you go fetch my halberd." Kagura rose from the couch and walked to the door. "Your room is down the hall to the east. Last door on the left. Sesshomaru, come." The white werewolf followed after his mistress, ignoring the sympathetic looks the other werewolves gave him.  
  
Kagome knelt to better look at the boy. She tilted his head back to check his eyes, he was bordering on unconscious. The miko had a strong suspicion that he didn't even know where he was, let alone process thought. "Can you hear me?" she asked softly.   
  
His voice was hoarse, and Kagome was afraid she knew the reason why. "Y- yes, mistress."   
  
"My name's Kagome. Are you in pain? Can I help?"   
  
"I'm fine, mis--tress.." Inuyasha tried to stand up from his position, and collapsed.   
  
Kagome caught him on the way down. She looked over at the two still standing in the doorway. "Well don't just stand there! Help me get him to my room!"   
  
It didn't take much effort to carry him to the room, but the werewolves balked at going in. "We're not allowed in your room, mistress. Lady Kagura's orders."   
  
Kagome glared. "She's not here, I am, and I say, move!" The werewolves were afraid to disobey her and carried the boy in and onto her bed. The room was small, with a single bed and little furniture besides a dresser with a mirror. She turned to face the men. "Was he poisoned with silver?"   
  
The tall one answered her. "We think so mistress. He bleeds too freely for it to be something else."   
  
"Who did this to him?"   
  
"Probably another vampire," the smaller one answered as they stretched the boy out on the bed. "He was sent out to scout for prey for Lady Kagura's ally and was attacked. He might have gone to another line's territory. Do you need help, mistress?"   
  
While they'd talked, Kagome had taken off his leash and thrown it across the room. She was using the sheet to try and clean him up as best she could. "Yes, I need a basin of water and a first aid kit. You-I'm sorry, what's your name?"   
  
The taller werewolf looked rather startled. "I-I'm Ichiro, mistress."   
  
"Ichiro, please go get the water for me."   
  
"Yes, mistress." He raced off down the hall.   
  
"And you? What's your name?"   
  
"Sai, mistress."   
  
"Sai, how do you treat silver poisoning?"   
  
"If it's a small dose, we could wait it out, but he is badly injured. From the looks of things, I'd say someone used a silver sword. It would guarantee that he would bleed like a human would, and could die like one too. He would need a transfusion."   
  
"Then we need to get him to a hospital-"   
  
"Mistress, what hospital could treat a werewolf? Who would?"   
  
"Sai, I can't let him die! Wait, I'm an o negative blood type. Universal donor. Get me the first aid kit; I think I can help him."   
  
Sai was stunned. "You would give him your blood?"   
  
"What else can I do? Go!" Sai went as fast as he could.   
  
Ichiro made it back soonest, and helped Kagome wash away the blood and dirt from Inuyasha's wounds. Sai came back with the kit and quite a few rolls of bandages. All in all, the damage was serious. Broken ribs, shinbone and wrist on one side, probably from being thrown off a building. Deep cuts on his arms, chest and waist, shallower cuts on his face and shoulders.   
  
"Claws," said Ichiro. "He was raked by their claws."   
  
Kagome patched him up as best she could, and with Sai and Ichiro's help, splinted and wrapped his leg and wrist. But Inuyasha was still bleeding. The silver was preventing his blood from clotting. Kagome looked at Sai. "Get me a long thin tube and two needle heads."   
  
"You truly mean to do this?" Ichiro look confused, so Sai explained. "She intends to give him some of her blood."   
  
"You would give him some of your own power?" Ichiro asked in wonder.   
  
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" She frowned at the werewolf's hesitation. "Sai, are you going?"   
  
"Yes, Lady Kagome." Sai bowed and left to fetch what she needed. She turned to the other werewolf. "Ichiro, what was Sai talking about?"   
  
He flushed. "When you give another being your blood, vampire blood, you are sharing all your power with him. Werewolves have strength and speed and heightened senses like vampires, but not to so great a degree. We can't see in the dark. We can't work magic as well as vampires, and none of us have spiritual powers. You are giving all these to Inuyasha as a result of your act."   
  
At this point, the girl couldn't care less. "Will it help him?"   
  
"Yes, lady Kagome."   
  
"Then who cares?" she shrugged. "Something I've been meaning to ask you, can werewolves walk in the day?"   
  
"Yes, my lady, sunlight doesn't affect us. That's why vampires made us, to guard their lairs as they slept."   
  
"That's horrible," Kagome said softly. Oh crap, she thought to herself. The day's catching up to me. This is not the time to fall apart. "This whole thing is horrible." A tear traced its way down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away as Sai came back. She made to lie next to Inuyasha when Ichiro picked him up and set him on the floor.   
  
"But he's injured! Let him stay"-   
  
"My lady, it will help the blood flow to him if it comes from higher up than him." Sai, with Kagome's instruction, inserted the needle to one of her arteries and the tube quickly filled with blood. He squeezed out a few drops from the other needle to get rid of any air and put it to one of Inuyasha's veins. "Now all we have to do is wait."   
  
Kagome nodded. She never minded donating blood for the Red Cross, but it did make her sleepy. Suddenly she almost jerked. She could hear Inuyasha's heartbeat. It was beginning to beat in time to her own. She shut her eyes, lulled by the harmony of the sound and drifted to sleep. Ichiro and Sai looked at each other in wonder. They slipped away for a moment out in the hall.   
  
Sai looked over to his friend. "Do you think she knows what she's done?"   
  
Ichiro nodded somberly. "I explained it to her, and it didn't matter to her at all."   
  
"Explained what?"   
  
Both werewolves whipped around and knelt at the sight of their lord. He motioned them to get up, and they winced once his smell hit them. He reeked of the vampire mistress, blood and perfume and very bad French cigarettes. Sesshomaru grimaced in disgust as he checked his clothes and found that awful smell soaked into them. "What has the new vampire done that needed explaining?"   
  
Ichiro looked to Sai to answer. "She is tending his wounds and giving him her blood."   
  
It took an ungodly unusual thing to ruffle Sesshomaru, but this qualified. Both eyebrows went up in surprise. "She is sharing her power with him? Freely?"   
  
"Yes, lord Sesshomaru."   
  
The older werewolf thought for a moment before a light gleamed in his eyes. "Guard her door and fetch her anything she needs. Don't let Kagura know what she's doing and don't let her out of the room without an escort."   
  
"What if she asks why, my lord?"   
  
"Tell her the other vampires might try and make things difficult for her." In truth, the other vampires were out for tonight and wouldn't be back until maybe an hour before dawn. They'd sleep the day away, and probably wouldn't notice she was there. "Remember to take care of her tonight as Inuyasha cannot." The werewolves bowed acknowledgment.   
  
Sesshomaru looked in on the two before he left and heard what Kagome heard before. Their heartbeats were as one. The blood on the werewolf's bandages was no longer fresh; his blood was clotting, rapidly regenerating with the new blood.   
  
The transfer was complete.   
  
Inuyasha had just gained the abilities of a vampire.   
  
And Kagome, unknown to her, now had a blood mate. %&%&%&%&%  
  
Dun, dun, dun! I hope you all like this one, let me know and review! Normal Normal Default Paragraph Font Default Paragraph Font public-ekst A:\iv3.docÿ?? Unknownÿ! Times New Roman Times New Roman Symbol Symbol public-ekst public-ekst public-ekst public-ekst public-ekst Normal public-ekst Microsoft Word 9.0 University of Louisville Root Entry 1Table 1Table WordDocument WordDocument SummaryInformation SummaryInformation DocumentSummaryInformation DocumentSummaryInformation CompObj CompObj ObjectPool ObjectPool Microsoft Word Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.8 


	4. Enter the Inu

More from inuficcrzy! Hope you like it!  
  
Chap 4: Enter the Inu  
  
Inuyasha came awake with a start. Whoever was making pancakes was going to pay dearly for not telling him first. Wait a minute. How could he smell pancakes? He wasn't near the kitchen. In fact, he sniffed the air; he was in the third floor on the east side of the building.   
  
The boy started slightly. When had his sense of smell gotten so good? He hadn't felt this disoriented since he was first made a werewolf. The world began to open up to his senses. He could hear the two werewolves outside the door, and from their heartbeats, they were asleep. He could hear Mayu singing as she made his favorite breakfast two floors down. Inuyasha could even hear the breathing of every sleeping vampire and werewolf in the house.   
  
And smell them too. Perfume, rotting blood, fresh blood, soap, cigarettes smoke, and dust everywhere-he sneezed. That was a little much for him to handle. The sweat of work was all over the place too. Werewolf smell was everywhere, along with vampire, and the smell of something else. He frowned slightly trying to place that smell. Something in him answered. It's magic. The electric smell of old magic. How the hell had he known that? Dammit, it was too early in the morning to try and think.   
  
He opened his eyes slowly and sat up. And knew from the pull of bandages and splints on his skin that that wasn't supposed to happen. But nothing hurt, so why was he-   
  
The memory came flooding back. The hunt that night, those kids, the vampires, that one hell of a beating. 'Fucking bastards,' he thought angrily. 'Going after kids, and using a silver sword on their own werewolves. I hate those Kagerumaru shits.'   
  
The Kagerumaru clan was famous for their speed, along with that of their werewolves. But they'd been out flushing a small orphanage of children that night, and he hated seeing some huge clan pick on the weak. The werewolf had tried to help the kids escape and got caught. And he'd been so outnumbered, the vampires just laughed and made him start running-   
  
So how the hell had he survived the night? Not that he was complaining, but still. This didn't make sense. The wraps and smell of medicine all said that he'd been badly injured. How had he healed? And so fast? He didn't remember being found out by the lot, or being carried back to the house. Inuyasha shook his head to clear it of his thoughts and took a deep breath.   
  
He nearly had a heart attack. He wasn't alone in the room. He was with a female young vampire. That brought some concern. He sniffed again as he stood up. Why hadn't she been the first thing he smelled? She was right next to him! Something seemed off about this one. Her scent was-fresh. Clean still, with only a very faint trace of blood. 'Sesshomaru's blood,' he realized. 'Kagura must want her for something if she had Sesshomaru be her first blood.'  
  
The girl looked small and innocent in the bed, curled up like a kitten. She had long black hair framing a sweet face. 'If that ain't deceiving,' Inuyasha thought bitterly. 'They all look good while they're not feeding.' Her skin was clear, not a freckle on her, and her eyes looked wide. Thick lashes were long on her cheeks, and they blushed slightly with warmth. The sheets hid most of her body, but he could tell that she was long limbed and graceful. She was quite pretty.   
  
'And I must be her new pet.' He winced at the thought. He'd hoped he wouldn't be made a pet for another twenty years; he was still very young in werewolf terms. But this is life on earth, you can't have what you want.   
  
He was stirred from his musings by a sound from outside the hallway. His ears flicked as he went to the door and walked out past the startled guards. "Sesshomaru," he called softly. "I can hear you on the stairs, hurry up already."   
  
The older werewolf started slightly. Inuyasha had known he was coming? From inside the room? It was over fifty feet away, and the lord's tread was very light. The transfer was doing wonders for his abilities. He lifted an eyebrow as he greeted the young man. "Welcome back to the living, Inuyasha."   
  
"Yeah, yeah, what a beautiful morning to you too." Catching his look, "my lord," Inuyasha added hastily. "So what's up with the girl? She my master now?" he asked bitterly.   
  
"You should speak of her with more respect than that. She saved your life last night." Inuyasha looked up at that. "Lady Kagome gave you her blood to help heal you from the silver poisoning."   
  
The teen gasped at the implication. "She-she's not--"  
  
Sesshomaru tilted his head in a nod. "She is now your blood mate."   
  
That would certainly explain why he hadn't smelled her immediately. His body had recognized her as non-threatening, she was his mate. To werewolves, blood mates were the equivalent of getting married. They couldn't bear children, but they could still take mates for life. The demon born beings would slit both wrists and bind them together, sharing their blood and giving each other their abilities. They would become stronger for the act, and normally the pact was sealed with consummation. But blood alone was enough to bind them together for all their lives.   
  
Inuyasha could only stare as Sesshomaru spoke. "You're already experiencing some of the benefits of her act. You could hear me coming, and you appear to have increased your hearing and scenting abilities."   
  
It took a bit for this to sink in. A life altering experience and he hadn't even been conscious for it. "b-blood mate?!"   
  
Sai and Ichiro both shushed him at the same time. "Quiet! You'll wake her."   
  
"Who cares?!" He lowered his voice anyway, glancing over his shoulder into the room. "She's my blood mate? Why the hell would she do that?"   
  
"I can only assume that she is compassionate," Sesshomaru said softly. "Kagura made her a vampire for her holy abilities. She is a miko still."   
  
"A miko? A miko vampire? What the hell would that bitch want with her?"   
  
"She wants Lady Kagome to steal the Amokoi halberd."   
  
"The one that can control the wind and waves?" The older werewolf nodded. Inuyasha snorted. "Like she needs anymore powers with wind. So she needs the girl because only a good person can enter the temple," Inuyasha said softly. "That monk won't know what hit him." On a sudden subject switch, "does she know what she's done?"   
  
"Ichiro told her about sharing powers. As for the rest, I sincerely doubt it."   
  
At the mention of 'the rest,' Inuyasha blushed. "Um," the youth was at a loss for words. "What should I do now?"   
  
Sesshomaru cocked one eyebrow and almost smiled. "She is still your mistress. Treat her as such."   
  
"I know that!" he ignored Ichiro's hissed, "shut up, man, you're gonna wake her." "I meant about the rest of it, the part with the--um-m-mating-oh, to hell with it." He blushed furiously. "Whatever."   
  
Sesshomaru allowed himself to smile slightly. This was going to be interesting.  
  
##$$$  
  
yes it will be! (grins) hope to see you all soon, please review!! 


	5. Reality Sucks

Inuficcrzy back in action! Here's the next chap for all who waited! Thanks so much for reading, please review!!  
  
I do not own inu, and it makes me sad.  
  
Chap 5: Reality sucks.  
  
Sunlight was making itself known politely to Kagome for the first time in her life. She came awake in stages, slowly drifting up from unconscious. Her eyes opened to the room, drenched in sunlight. And boy was it bright! She brought an arm up to shield her eyes and slowly sat up. She could hear a heartbeat outside the door and smiled slightly. One of the werewolves was standing guard for her. It was rather sweet of them. Sai had removed the needles earlier on and put a band-aid on the spot on her arm. She checked it and pulled the sticky away. Her arm was already healed of the little cut.   
  
She stretched and winced at her own smell. God, did she need a bath. The girl got out of the bed--   
  
And immediately jumped back on it. Wait a minute. She scanned the room. Where had the boy gone? 'Ichiro and Sai must have moved him during the night. I hope he's okay.' Kagome got back up and went over to the dresser. She rooted through the drawers and found a clean robe. She put it on the top of the dresser as she looked in the mirror. She winced. She looked like hell warmed over then left out overnight. She stripped out of her old clothes and put the satin thing on.   
  
That was the only clothes she had now, she thought sadly. 'Mom, Grandpa, Rin, Souta. I miss you. Are you still worried about me? Do you think I'm dead? Aunt Yuka, please don't keep looking for me. I wouldn't want them to see me like this. A Vampire.' Hot tears streaked down her cheeks as she traced the shape of her fangs with her tongue. She was a monster. What was she supposed to do now?! The last day and night was coming back to her with a vengeance, wearing her down with the reality of her situation. Kagome fell to her knees, sobbing.   
  
She couldn't go home like this! The girl wrapped her arms around herself, hunched over. How was she supposed to explain that she was a monster now? Kagome barely registered that the door had opened and someone had come in. She didn't care what Kagura had said, she was an unclean monster!   
  
Suddenly she was being lifted in someone's arms. She stilled instantly as she felt herself leave the ground and be carried over to the bed. The someone sat down and kept her in their arms. The boy, she scented. The boy from last night. "Wha--   
  
"Shh. Its okay now," he whispered harshly. Something in his voice told her to believe him. She leaned into him. His arms-they felt so strong and safe. He held her until her tears passed, absently stroking her hair. "Don't cry. You get used to it after a while. You just stop feeling it so hard. Don't cry anymore, okay?"   
  
To Kagome's amazement, she was starting to feel a little better. It took some effort, but she quieted the rest of her tears. She looked up into his face and met his golden eyes. "I'll try." She sniffed hard. "I'm sorry. I almost never cry, I don't know-(hiccup)-what came over me. (hiccup) Um, (hiccup), do you think-(hiccup)- you could let me down? (hiccup)"   
  
The boy blushed once he realized that he had yet to let her go. "Sorry," he muttered as he lifted her off his lap to beside him on the bed. She smiled at him and asked, "Do you feel better-(hiccup)-from last night? You look a lot-(hiccup)-better now, but does anything still hurt? (Hiccup)"   
  
He looked at her oddly. "No, I'm fine. Are"-he swallowed, gah, it was embarrassing that girls crying made him nervous-"are you alright?"   
  
She smiled, but couldn't meet his eyes. "Nothing a hot bath and-(hiccup)- and a glass of water won't fix." The boy blushed again. "I-I'll leave you to it then." He got up and walked over to the door.   
  
"Inuyasha?"   
  
He whirled. "How did you know my name?"   
  
"You told me."   
  
He frowned in confusion. "I did?"   
  
"Last night, remember? When Lord Sesshomaru brought you in?" The young man shook his head no. He grimaced, "sorry I was such a mess. I usually win my fights."   
  
"You were in a fight? What happened?" He told her about the Kagerumaru clan and what had gone on that night. "But that's awful! Killing innocent children, those rotten bastards!" The girl gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Whoa. I've never used that word before."   
  
Inuyasha looked at her surprised. "Really? Why not?"   
  
She looked at him oddly. "It's not polite to swear."   
  
"Who cares? With the Kagerumaru clan, there is no word rude enough for them."   
  
Kagome nodded. Someone that would kill children deserved any name they got. "Inuyasha, where's the bathroom?"   
  
"Oh, the one for vampires is down the hall, second door to the right."   
  
"For vampires?"   
  
"Yeah, they make us keep it clean just for them the arrogant"-he stopped dead. For all her civility, the girl was still a vampire, still his mistress. He shouldn't have even started the sentence in front of her!   
  
Her reaction surprised him. "You mean like the old black and white segregation laws? That's awful!" He nodded, best to keep clear of that subject. "Here, I'll take your clothes." He picked them up, sniffed them and made a face. They were soaked in the scents of fear, anger, pain, and miko backwash. "You put up one hell of a fight when they bit you, didn't you?" He stopped when he heard her take a sharp breath and mentally slapped himself. 'Idiot! She probably doesn't want to remember that!' Inuyasha could hardly believe his mouth today, it was getting completely out of control.   
  
He turned to face the girl again. She was standing so still she could have passed for statuary. "Yes," she said very softly. "I did fight. There were six of them; they cornered me in the dressing room at the mall. I remember these bright flashes of light whenever they tried to touch me. I think I was purifying them." Another tear went down her face as her fists clenched. "They bit me. They bit me every place they could reach on me, my arms, neck, shoulders," she shuddered, "even my legs where they grabbed me. They wouldn't let go of me, they wouldn't let go"-her voice broke off.   
  
Inuyasha stood still, not knowing what to do. He walked over and awkwardly touched her arm. "I shouldn't have brought it up. Sorry." She looked up at him and tried to smile, but it looked like a grimace. "Its alright, it's over now. I'll go get that bath now."   
  
He watched her walk out of the room with a frown. This girl was very different. She should never have been made a vampire. She was too-nice, was the only word for it. He walked out of the room and down to the laundry. She would need something clean.  
  
***&&&^^^%%%  
  
hope you all like it, please review! 


	6. Getting to know you

I'm sorry! I know its short, but I'm in hell week, (otherwise known as finals), I haven't had the rotten time to write more! Please forgive me!  
  
Chap: Getting to know you  
  
Kagome reluctantly began to feel a little better during her shower. The hot water felt so good on her stiff shoulders and back. Not to mention getting three days worth of smoke-stink out of her hair made her feel much cleaner. How Kagura could stand to do such a nasty habit was beyond her.  
  
'Of course, her liking the fact that she's a vampire is also beyond me. What a cruel old thing.' The shampoos and other bath stuff had little or no scent, something Kagome was incredibly grateful for. Too much scent in the early morning would give her a massive headache, she just knew. Rinsing the last of the conditioner out of her hair, she used the bottle of body wash straight out and skipped the pouf. God alone knew just who else had been using that thing, it reeked of way too many vampires.  
  
*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha sniffed the hallway again for anyone coming or going. Finding none, he began to walk down the hall to the bath. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to be a pet, although that would have been humiliation enough if he'd been forced to serve a male vampire. 'Eeeewwww,' he shuddered mentally. Some vampires took the thought of werewolves being forced to 'serve' them very seriously and perversely, and it was a nasty thought. He just really didn't want anyone to know Kagome was bathing. She was his bloodmate after all-  
  
'Wait. Stop that train of thought. She probably still doesn't understand what that means at all.' He sighed. At least this was going to be an interesting experience. Kagome seemed like a genuinely sweet girl. This might not be so bad. He listened at the door a moment before he went in. Good, the shower was still running. He could sneak in, put the clothes out for her, and her none the wis-  
  
Kagome opened the shower door just as Inuyasha put down the new clothes. She froze. All Inuyasha could do was stare. Billows of steam flowed out from the stall, flooding the room with mist and heat as he tried to take his eyes away from the girl. The curves he'd seen suggested in the sheets earlier were all too true. She-she was-  
  
"Inuyasha?" she said dazedly.  
  
Perfect. She was-  
  
The confusion left her in a hurry. "Inuyasha!" Her eyes snapped with fire and her miko aura flared bright.  
  
She was madder than hell. The werewolf boy tore out of there like the devil was chasing him. And he was blushing for all he was worth. He ran down the stairs to the temporary safety of the kitchen, where he could maybe grab a last meal.  
  
But he had one sustaining thought. If he lived through whatever she was going to do to him, it was definitely going to be an interesting servitude.  
  
His bloodmate was rather beautiful, and he'd kill anyone who tried to touch her.  
  
%%%^^^^^&&&&&  
  
again, very sorry, next chap will be twice as long, I promise. Please review, and ja ne! 


	7. Breakfast, bets, and rears

Hello everybody!! Inuficcrzy here, very sorry for the lack of updates, but man has it been a hectic month. Kids were everywhere; I had no time to write!  
  
Hey, my sis just now got on ff.net! her name's red_angel_wings, and you guys have so got to go read her kick ass story!  
  
Hope this makes up for the delay, the action comes out in the next chap!  
  
Chap : Breakfast, bets, and rears  
  
A brightly blushing Kagome made her way down the stairs to the main floor. Inuyasha, the very cute boy who was supposed to be her-what had Kagura called the werewolves? Oh yeah, pets. The boy who was supposed to be her 'pet' had just seen her naked. It was kind of funny, in a way. He'd been bringing her clothes, a very sweet gesture she thought. She really hadn't wanted to walk down the hallway in that skimpy little robe she'd been given. He'd looked like someone had wanged him with a frying pan when he'd looked at her.  
  
And boy had his face turned red. His nose had actually started bleeding from the force of his blushing. She giggled to herself. He'd looked so cute like that, the little pervert. She'd forgive him for looking; after all, it hadn't been intentional.  
  
The girl followed the delicious smells coming from a room off to the side and found Inuyasha sitting at a small table digging into a huge stack of pancakes oozing with butter and syrup. A young girl, a werewolf by the scent of her, had been cooking breakfast, and a few other werewolves were cleaning up the kitchen with her. The girl turned at the sound of her entering and immediately bowed her head. "My lady! Welcome, I'm Mayu. Would you like something to eat?"  
  
Kagome couldn't help her smile at the sight and scent of such delicious food. "Yeah, that'd be great!"  
  
He looked up and froze at the sight of her, a fierce blush rising on his face. "Ugh! K-guh-mph!" He desperately tried to swallow so he could run faster, but she stayed his plan. Kagome just smiled at him, though she did blush, and sat down beside him at the table.  
  
"Inuyasha? Pass the honey?" He did as she asked as Mayu landed a stack of fluffy cakes in front of her. "Thanks." She doused them in honey and butter and dug in with an appetite. Something told her she would need her energy soon enough.  
  
Mayu smiled at the sight of them. She and the others could tell by their smell that they were bloodmates. It wasn't a glaring neon sign, but a subtle thing, there only if you thought to look for it. His scent and her own were twining at the edges. Sai and Ichiro were responsible for spreading the story of how that happened and it had run like wildfire among the werewolves. It was obvious that the young couple hadn't mated, but those two rascals already had a pool going as for when the new couple would do so. It looked like Inuyasha had found himself a good one, and Mayu was happy for him. He needed a girlfriend. Speaking of which, she would have to go and place her bet as to the couple's union too. Mayu figured on roughly a month and a half.  
  
She shooed the others out and then left the two of them alone. They needed some time together to get used to each other. They would be stuck together for eternity, or until they died, bound by their own magical curses. It would be best if they liked each other.  
  
Inuyasha could barely look at his mistress. Damn it, he hadn't meant to walk in on her like that. (Not that he didn't appreciate the view he'd gotten, but still! His mother had raised him to show respect to a lady.) So he swallowed his pride and did the nasty. "I'm sorry," he said gruffly.  
  
Kagome looked up from her delicious food and smiled. "It's no big. I know you didn't do it on purpose, so don't mention it, okay?"  
  
"Um, sure." He took another bite before speaking again. He did not want to do this, but it had to be said. "You need to know my word."  
  
She paused in her eating. "Your what?"  
  
"My word, the one that's spelled to this," he said, fingering his collar. "When the moon is full, you might have to control me with it."  
  
"Why?" she said with concern. "What happens when-oh." He was a werewolf. Duh. She looked down to her lap. "So that part of the stories is true?"  
  
"Yeah, we all transform and most of us get violent. Like tripping on drugs and going nuts. The vamps use the collars to control our urges, but mostly they just let us go out and kill stuff for them." his voice held an understandable amount of bitterness.  
  
She couldn't help but wince in horror at the thought of being forced to transform into a monster. "Do you know what you're doing? When it happens?"  
  
"Sometimes," he said softly, "but mostly you'll kill anything that moves." He looked her right in the eye. "My word is 'sit.'"  
  
"Huh? Why si-"  
  
"Don't say it!" He shouted in mild panic. "You'll make me go face first into the floor. Hard."  
  
She winced again. "Ouch."  
  
"It only works for you, and if you want to use it specifically. Also works if you're talking about the command, not the action."  
  
"Oh. So if I say-" she paused, but he nodded as she motioned to a chair, "'sit here', nothing happens, but if I want you to stop doing something and say it-"  
  
He nodded grimly. "Bam. I get an in depth interview with the ground."  
  
She grimaced in sympathy. "I say again, ouch."  
  
"Very."  
  
"When's the next full moon?" she asked with a touch of worry.  
  
"Not for another three weeks." He rose from the table and put his dishes in the sink. 'Now comes the fun stuff,' he thought sarcastically. "Come on and get ready, I have to take you out to the shrine."  
  
She followed his lead and put the dishes down. Kagome gave him a mildly confused look. "Shrine? What?"  
  
"Sesshomaru said that the reason Kagura wanted you was so that you could steal the Amokoi halberd. Holy object that can control wind and water. It's in this little temple on the other side of town, and one lousy monk to guard it. Didn't they tell you last night?"  
  
"I was more concerned with getting you patched up," she said absently. His words worried Kagome big time. She'd never broken the law before. "We have to go steal it now? Today? As in broad daylight?"  
  
He raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "Would you rather go at night, when all the other vamps would be out and pissed off that you were running around in their territory?"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah. So get your cute rear in gear and let's go," he said as he walked out the door to the hall.  
  
"What did you say?" she asked with a frown.  
  
"What? Are you deaf or something, I said lets go!"  
  
"You also said I should, and I quote, 'get my cute rear in gear?'"  
  
Inuyasha's eyes went huge in shock. He'd said-"Wha.......oh, shit. I-I mean- oh, shit!" He flushed, completely flustered, ran down the hall, and jumped the stairs, presumably to get changed from the clothes of last night and get any weapons they might need. The fact that he was also running from a sitting was a definite bonus.  
  
Kagome tried to glare, but failed. He thought her rear was cute? Why did that thought make her happy? She shrugged and made for the stairs. She'd have to find some decent shoes and a pair of sunglasses. While the sunlight didn't hurt her, it was extremely bright to her now sensitive eyes.  
  
##$$%%^^  
  
pheww. That took some effort, but he next chap is already in the works, so don't worry!  
  
Review responses:  
  
Dracul-blackdragon: my sincerest thanks for being my first review on this story!  
  
Rome34: sorry! I've been trying to update, but things have been so hairy its not funny. Hope you like what I've done now!  
  
Kyoko higurashi: hope you like what I've done!  
  
Lelelik_royal: goodness! You think this is art? I'm blushing! Thanks so much for reviewing me!  
  
Tabbi and Danielle: I've been trying to write longer chaps, but I keep getting so busy! Hope you like this!  
  
Jezzica225: miroku's a monk, true, but I have something else in mind for sango.  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed me!  
  
Cussie,  
  
blazingsunstar,  
  
Millenium Mutant,  
  
Bianca,  
  
me,  
  
Anime Girl16,  
  
RandomUnit02,  
  
fluffylover07,  
  
Paul Powell,  
  
Rainingfire,  
  
Twil,  
  
Gloria Underhill,  
  
Koinu-Chan,  
  
Corrupted Archangel, (gah, what a cool name!)  
  
gatogirl1,  
  
Kitsune T.M.,  
  
B.C. Dragon,  
  
kitsunefire,  
  
pruningshears,  
  
wayfarer-redemption,  
  
and gohanzgirl. 


	8. no longer directed

Extremely sorry this took so long, lots and lots of college.  
  
I no own the inu and comp., but some sweet day, that boy WILL get into my hot anime male review underwear photoshoot.  
  
Chap : no longer directed  
  
He kept to the rooftops to avoid being seen. Kagome was riding on his back, clinging very tightly to him. She had confessed to a fear of heights when he'd told her how they'd get there, so he told her to just duck her head and not look down. The moment he'd leapt up to the city skyline, she'd of course taken one look and started shaking like a leaf in a gale. It made him concerned when she hadn't stopped in the twenty minutes he'd been running. He was deliberately going slowly to help her get used to it, worried now what his real speed would do to her. Man, she hadn't been kidding when she'd said that she was a closet acrophobic.  
  
He was grateful that she wasn't screaming in his ears. They had plans to make. "Okay, listen," he said over the rush of wind, "this temple's off one of the city parks, so it's edged by a thin patch of woods. It'll give me cover and I can wait there and ambush him while you lure him out"-  
  
Kagome made a small sound of protest, or something like that. He snorted, and with a sigh decided to stop. He made one final leap to the back of a small store roof, landing lightly on the balls of his feet and letting his knees absorb most of the shock. Pure momentum made him take two or three more steps before he came to a stop. With some effort, he managed to peel her arms from around his shoulders, although it took real work to get her legs unlocked... God, did she have great legs. Those denim shorts showed off a lot more leg than he liked to the public, but it was the only clean thing in the laundry along with a light green t-shirt. Thank god it was summer. "What did you say?"  
  
She was still staring at the ground and shaking. He reached out with a gentle finger and lifted her chin. "Kagome? You okay?" She met his eyes and tried to smile. "I think so. Just let me-get my land legs back....." she sat down on roof tailor style and took a few deep breaths. He sat beside her, looking at her with concern. The moment she looked back at him though, he would turn and look the other way. He was in no way ready for this, this- thing. Bloodmate. Wow.  
  
"I think I can talk now," Kagome said in wry embarrassment.  
  
The boy shook his head from his thoughts and back to his original question. "So what did you say?"  
  
"I was going to say, 'can't I just try and ask for it?' I'd rather not have you fight again."  
  
"What?! You actually think that monk is going to just up and say, 'oh sure, since you asked so nicely'-get a grip!"  
  
"It couldn't hurt to ask, could it?"  
  
"Yeah right!"  
  
"Just let me try and get it first. I mean, he's a monk, he can't hurt anybody, its against his religion." She frowned. "Isn't it? Just what kind of monk is he anyway?"  
  
"Buddhist," Inuyasha grumbled.  
  
"Great! They can't harm any living thing, so I'll be fine. No need for fighting at all." He gave a soft growl, so she went on. "No drawing more attention to ourselves than necessary, right, Inuyasha?" He had to nod at that. The less of a fuss made over this, the less attention they would draw from this territory's clan.  
  
"Alright. But he still won't give it to you."  
  
"Then"-she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders-"I'll just have to steal it." She stood back up and smiled. "Let's go."  
  
**&&^^  
  
A young man sat on the floor in a small open porch facing away from the small shrine. He looked about 18-19 yrs old, with short black hair pulled back into a small ponytail. He wore the long black and purple robes of a Buddhist monk, and anyone seeing him would have marveled. For all that it was a blazing hot day, with no wind to bring relief, not a single drop of sweat formed on his brow.  
  
Miroku sighed from his meditations. This had to be the most boring day he could recall in months. There hadn't been a single visitor in weeks, and for a city the size of Tokyo, that was a big worry. It was almost like something was driving the people away, or keeping them from noticing the rather quaint temple that bordered the edge of Sakura Park. The monk rose from his seat and decided to take a walk. Maybe he could entice some young ladies to come pay the charming place a visit. They often took walks near this part of the park for its shade on hot days.  
  
No sooner had he stepped out the door than he froze. Although sunlight was glaring down on him, he felt an icy chill. Something was coming, or was already here. Something strong. He tensed slightly, feeling with his aura to try and sense what was the matter. What he read worried him. Someone had ringed the shrine with a spell, one of the most simple, but powerful. It would grant an area something akin to invisibility, but not by hiding it from sight. All the spell did was redirect attention. A person would 'see' the shrine; they just wouldn't 'notice' it.  
  
'How in the seven hells did I miss this?' He asked himself angrily. 'How did I ever miss this happening? I should have been able to sense it long ago! No wonder no ones been coming here.'  
  
The next thought made him turn and go back into the building to get his staff. If he had missed it for so long, why could he sense it so easily now? The spell had been weaker before, he could tell the difference now. The only reason you would make a redirection spell stronger was so that no one would notice something loud.  
  
Or bloody, whichever they had in mind. ***&&&^^^%%%  
  
review response time!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed me, I love you guys! Sorry I haven't done this sooner, I feel so rotten for it. But I hope this makes up for lost chapter time!  
  
Pruningshears: concerning your question about chap 3, sesshomaru ordered them away from her room, not kagura. In fact, sess (my name for the gorgeous dog) doesn't want any vamp to find out in fear of them telling kagura. The reason why will come up in later chaps.  
  
Kyoko Higurashi: of course I care you have thoughts! Why wouldn't i? and as for what I'm busy with, dude, its called college term papers. Three of them. All due within three days of each other. (me want sleep....hic, sniffle..)  
  
Gatogirl1: she sure will go to her family, but not for a while. She's got a lot of work to do before she gets a vacation.  
  
Rome34: HAPPY NOW?! Sorry for yelling, but I feel like I've been disappointing you by not posting. BUT I'VE BEEN BUSY, DAMMIT!! (see note to kyoko higurashi as to with what.)  
  
Me: NNNOOOO!! Please don't kill me! I'm updating right now, see..(types anxiously)...see?........(type, type)....  
  
Houndingwolf  
  
Dracul-blackdragon  
  
Corrupted-Archangel  
  
Randomunit02  
  
Blazingsunstar  
  
Elven mischief  
  
Lelelik royal  
  
Tabbi  
  
Jessica225  
  
Anime girl16  
  
Danielle  
  
Millenium Mutant (thanks for reviewing so many of my fics!)  
  
Bianca  
  
Cussie  
  
Fluffylover07  
  
Paul Powell  
  
Raining fire  
  
Twil  
  
Gloria Underhill  
  
Koinu-chan  
  
Kitsune T.M.  
  
Kitsunefire  
  
B.C. Dragon  
  
Wayfarer-redemption  
  
gohanzgirl 


	9. Halberds and Hands Off!

I know, I know, its been ages, but college! It sucks!  
  
Here's another chap of Welcome to the Fold, hope you all like it!  
  
I don't own inu, you really ought to know that by now, man!  
  
Chap: Halberds, and hands off  
  
Kagome walked slowly down the path to the shrine. Inuyasha was keeping to the trees, deftly leaping from branch to branch. His face had been tense as he'd left her side, betraying his worry. Something felt very off about this from the beginning.  
  
For one thing, Inuyasha had gotten lost.  
  
Of course, he insisted that he'd known where he was going all along, and in truth she thought he had. But they had passed the spot three times before they'd been able to find it. Both of them had smelled the electric aura around the place that easily betrayed holy magic, they just hadn't seen it. "Redirection spell," Inuyasha had muttered. "The whole shrine grounds are covered by it. What the hell are they thinking?" Kagome agreed. From the looks of the place, it was obviously a tourist spot. So why would they try to hide it during the middle of summer, high tourist season?  
  
Something was very, very wrong.  
  
The sound of a staff jingling reached her ears, and she picked up her pace. As she came to the shrine entrace, she spotted dozens on dozens of torn and burned strips of paper with old kanji written on them. She recognized them from her training. Holy seals and charms to ward off demons. Four of the creatures had succumbed to the monk's spells and were nothing but black crisps. She couldn't tell if they'd been werewolves or something else.  
  
Kagome suddenly heard shouts, like rough fighting. She started to run through the temple, and could suddenly see it. Magics of two very different types were almost splattered on the walls, along with traces of fresh blood.  
  
'Human male, healthy, late teens/early twenties, with very strong holy magic' the scent told her. The other magics present were werewolves. Their scents were acrid and strange, almost burning her nose. 'Enemies, foreign clan,' the scent practically screamed at her. 'Older werewolves, smarter, more magical knowledge and cunning. Definitely something to avoid.' She would be more than happy to oblige.  
  
As she rounded the corner to the main hall, she sensed it. Incredibly powerful magic, old and serene. It spoke of quiet winds and waves lapping on the shore. Kagome didn't have to see it to know it. The Amokoi halberd.  
  
She followed its trail to a small room, ignoring the sounds of battle for now. As she opened the door, she thought that a Hollywood movie set couldn't have done it better. The halberd was set in a small boulder like the Sword in the Stone, the room dark accept for the object, lit by a bright ray of sunshine from the skylight above.  
  
The miko girl swallowed as she walked towards it, wooden floor boards creaking softly. No noise reached this room, enhancing the stillness of it. The entire place practically screamed sacred. She wasn't supposed to be here, she wasn't supposed to touch this----  
  
SPPLLLAAASSSHHH!!!  
  
"Blaugh!" Kagome spluttered water out her mouth. She looked up angrily at the bucket now hanging loose above her head. The girl stared. Buckets were all over the ceiling, hung up by wires that seemed to sink into the wall and–she groaned as she looked at the floor. No trip wires, so that meant--- Oh great. The whole floor was pressure sensitive. She'd get soaked every step of the way.  
  
She frowned up at the buckets in puzzlement. Why would someone set up something this elaborate and not make it something deadly? If they were trying to protect it from demons, why just wat—Oh. It suddenly hit her what she was getting soaked in. The perfect vampire and werewolf killer. Water would easily erase the smell of pure magic, making it seem harmless until it touched their skin, when it would burn like sulphuric acid.  
  
Holy water. Every bucket was filled to the brim with holy water. Kagome silently thanked god that she wasn't demonic or she'd be a walking advertisement for plastic surgery right about now.  
  
She resolutely marched forward, seven buckets dumping water all over her, and yanked the halberd free. Just as she was about to turn, she sighed. The girl knelt down before the stone. "I'm sorry, to disturb your rest, but I have need of this. I promise to return it as soon as I can." She then rose and walked out to the hall.  
  
The noise suddenly seemed dozens of times louder now. She was about to slip back out to find Inuyasha when----"Goddammit, you rotten sons of bitches!!! This was our claim!!!!" 'Huh? Was that–' she sprinted down the hall. Finding the main antechamber, she gasped. Inuyasha and three other werewolves were fighting literally tooth and claw. The three others wore black pants and shirts, and their hair (or in the big one's case, fur) was bright obnoxious orange. 'What sort of clan are they?' she wondered. From what she could see, (they were moving so fast she could barely make it out), Inuyasha had some light cuts, and only one bigger slash down his left arm.  
  
The other three were not faring so well. They had burn marks all over them, and multiple cuts and bruises. Inuyasha was kicking their ass! A soft groan caught her attention. A man in black was crumpled to the side of the room. She put the halberd by the wall and hurried over to him. It was the monk! "Are you okay?!"  
  
He looked at her with mild panic, "You have to get out of here! Those things will kill you!" He gasped in pain as she checked one of his wounds, a large slash down his side. She sighed in relief, "Its okay, they missed anything serious. Lets get you out of this room, Inuyasha can handle those guys."  
  
He looked at the girl in confusion. "You know that thing?"  
  
She gave the monk a hard look. "You ask a thing what it is, you ask a person who. His name is Inuyasha. Can you stand?"  
  
"I think so." She helped the man rise and together they limped out of the room to the quieter hall. He leaned against the wall and studied this odd woman–no, girl. She couldn't be more than 16. He flinched as a loud crash sounded and chanced a look around the door. One of the orange ones was dangling half out of a wall, and the other two were starting to look worried. The white one–Inuyasha, she'd said–was actually looking happy. "You know, I ought to be thanking you guys. I haven't had a decent workout in a while!" He launched an attack and the monk pulled back around to his side of the wall. He sank down so that he was sitting with his back to the wall. Why oh why did this have to be one of those days?  
  
"Here, this should help your wound," the girl said. She knelt down and began to treat him as he moved the cloth away. Looking more closely at her, he noticed something odd. She was soaked. Completely soaked. She could catch a cold like that. (Although, he had to admit it did wonderful things to her chest.)  
  
It hit him hard what he was really seeing. There wasn't a pool or lake or pond for three miles. And the spell on the temple hadn't been lifted yet. The halberd leaning on the wall beside her was the most obvious clue. She was in on the whole thing!! He started to rise, try and do something---No, wait. If she was in on this, why was she bothering to patch him up? Why not just finish the job the others had started? Unless they needed him to use the halberd for them.  
  
He glared at her as he spoke. "What are you doing here?"  
  
She looked startled at his tone. "Huh? Oh." Her eyes flashed guiltily. "Um, pretty much, we're here for the same reason they are," she pointed out the door.  
  
"I knew it. How the hell did you get past the water?" He asked with icy calm.  
  
She suddenly glared at him. "Hey! Why are you getting so mad?"  
  
"Why? You have the nerve to ask me that while four werewolves are tearing my home apart?"  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry," she flushed, "that was thoughtless of me."  
  
He stared. What was up with this girl? Could it be that they were using her? "Are you human?"  
  
"I used to be," she said softly. "Hey, I just realized, we haven't been introduced. I'm Kagome Higurashi."  
  
"Miroku Kujoni," he replied absently. "You said you used to be? What are you now?"  
  
"I'm a vampire."  
  
He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her jaw. "Hey!" She shouted, unknowingly letting him see her fangs. All the proof he needed to see, but he could barely believe it. "That's not possible," Miroku said dazzedly. "You would have been burned alive by the holy water!"  
  
"Get.  
  
Your.  
  
Fucking.  
  
Hands.  
  
Off.  
  
My.  
  
Woman."  
  
Inuyasha's voice sounded like shotgun blasts. The boy stood framed in the doorway like an avenging god and looked like he would gladly rip the monk's hand off.  
  
***&&&^^&^  
  
The sh*t's about to hit the fan for everyone's fav monk. Please review!! 


	10. That's gratitude for ya'

Just to prove to everyone that I haven't forgotten this story, here you go. (Yay!)  
  
Chap: That's gratitude for ya'......  
  
'His woman? His woman?! Not his mistress, his woman?!' The werewolf slowly crawled out from the crater the white werewolf had shoved it in. He groaned silently, barely stifling a whimper. That white bastard was strong. From his colors, that meant that he was one of the wind master's bitches. Oh, hell. If they'd known Kagura would send people to take the Amokoi halberd, they would have come sooner.  
  
The monk was distracting that white werewolf and his woman long enough for the man to get away. 'Mistress Kikyo will want to hear of this.' But if the truth were known, the werewolf dreaded going back to his clan. Or rather, to his mistress. He shivered as if chilled with ice at the thought of her. She was not merciful to those who failed. The man silently slipped from the group's view and ran off.  
  
(Back to Inu and Kag)  
  
Kagome shoved the monk's hand off her face while he was distracted. He landed back on his rear with a short cry for his injuries, taking deep breathes to ease the pain. The girl scrambled up on her feet, almost falling forward as she stumbled to the werewolf's arms. He caught her easily, never once taking his eyes off the man behind her.  
  
He leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," she said, getting her breath back, "he just startled me."  
  
"He didn't try to---ow!! Ow! What the hell---"He jumped slightly, far enough that she was no longer touching his body. "What the hell is on you?!" She looked down at herself in confusion, then heard the soft sizzle. His side and arm were both red like a sunburn: the skin was even blistering where she'd touched him. For a moment she was confused until she remembered. Her clothes were still soaking wet with holy water.  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha! I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! Here, let me—"  
  
"Don't, I'm fine, wench. But what the hell happened to you?!"  
  
"Well, I was getting the halberd and every time I stepped on the floor, these buckets would fall down"—she hurried to explain as she tried to wring the water out of her clothes. Inuyasha listened to her with one ear cocked to her, but still never took his eyes off the monk as he used the wall to pull himself up.  
  
Miroku had no idea what to think. A vampire had just patched him up from a fight with one group of werewolves, which had been fought off by one lone white werewolf. He called her his woman, which, to his understanding, was not how the vampire-werewolf relationship was supposed to work at all. But what really got him was that—"How are you not burning?"  
  
Inuyasha growled, pulling one lip in a snarl. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Not you, her. Kagome."  
  
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes with a scowl. "Miss Higurashi to you, monk," he snapped.  
  
"Miss Higurashi, then. How are you not burning from the holy water?"  
  
Inuyasha blinked, then turned and stared at her. "Holy water? That's what's all over you?"  
  
"Yeah," Kagome said as she looked down to her shoes, "and I'm so sorry.  
  
One ear cocked in confusion. "Sorry?"  
  
"I shouldn't have gone near you while I'm covered in this," she said softly. Water began to appear at the corners of her eyes. "You got hurt because of me. Because I didn't think. (sniff)"  
  
Inuyasha froze. He could handle werewolves, vampires, swords, knives, and silver, but not this. "A-are you crying?"  
  
"I-I'm sorry, (hic)."  
  
"H-Hey! Don't cry! No crying!!"  
  
"Do you want me to (hic) laugh?!"  
  
"No! Just—just---don't cry!! I can't stand it when women cry!"  
  
"I'm trying not to! And it didn't seem to bother you before!" He blushed in the memory, and so did she. She went on, "B-But—I've never hurt someone just by touching them before!!" She wasn't sniffling anymore, but a few tears streaked silently down her cheeks.  
  
Miroku almost started laughing at their argument. They acted like boyfriend and girlfriend. "Um, excuse me?"  
  
Both turned to look at him, almost with surprise. He could tell that they'd completely forgotten about him. "I hate to interrupt you lovebirds"—  
  
Inuyasha sputtered, "Wh-wh—what!?"  
  
"---but I think you were trying to explain something?" He pointed to Kagome's drying shirt. "How she can touch holy water?"  
  
"Oh," she flushed in embarrassment. He'd seen her crying. She hated it when people saw her cry. "I'm immune to it, because I'm not demonic."  
  
"Not demonic?" He frowned in confusion. "I thought all vampires were demonic."  
  
"Only after they kill for the first time," Inuyasha said dismissively, walking towards the wall where the halberd stood. He picked it up, holding it like a bo staff. "We'll be going now. C'mon, Kagome."  
  
"Wait," the monk said. "I can't let you take that."  
  
"You can't stop us, monk," the werewolf snapped. "So sit down, shut up, and be really grateful that I didn't kill you for touching my wo—"he flushed, suddenly realizing just what he'd been calling her—"-mistress." He started to walk out the door, when suddenly----  
  
ZZZAAAPPPPP!!!!!  
  
"Whoa!!!" Inuyasha went flying back, crashing into wall behind him. He fell in heap at the base of the wall. Miroku lowered his hand from casting the spirit shield.  
  
"Inuyasha!!" Kagome cried out. She rushed over to his side as he slowly got up. He looked over and glared at the other man. "Bad move, monk."  
  
"I'm sorry. While I am grateful to you and your"—he almost smiled—"lady, for saving me from those other werewolves, I can't let the Amokoi halberd leave this shrine," he said softly. Kagome frowned slightly. To her, his voice had seemed laced with something like genuine regret. "I can't let it fall into the wrong hands. And since I don't know where you're taking it, I can't let you have it."  
  
Inuyasha smirked, casually handing the object over to the girl beside him. "Then I guess that's that. Ready?"  
  
"At your leisure," the monk bowed politely. They readied to spring at each other.  
  
Kagome thought frantically. There had to be some way to stop this! Suddenly, it came to her. She took a better hold of the halberd and jumped up. She began to run. Inuyasha paused before his jump. "Kagome?!"  
  
Miroku stared. "What? What is she doing---oh, hell!"  
  
Inuyasha started slightly at the monk's cursing before catching himself. He smiled full out. "That's right!! Go Kagome!!"  
  
A spirit shield would have no effect on someone without a demonic soul. Kagome kept running, easily passing through the shield and out to the shrine grounds, halberd in tow.  
  
Miroku stared in pouting disbelief. "Fuck!"  
  
Inuyasha started to laugh.  
  
*&*&*&*&*&*&*  
  
An hour later, Inuyasha was still smirking. And Kagome was still glaring. "It's not funny, Inuyasha."  
  
"The hell its not!" he snorted. "You ran right into a tree!"  
  
"Because you distracted me!"  
  
"If that's what it takes to help you sleep through the night, girl. Besides, I had to get out of that room somehow. That bastard sealed all the doors!"  
  
"You jumped out through the roof and made the building collapse!! And I can't believe you were going to hurt him like that!"  
  
"He had his hands all over you!"  
  
She frowned in confusion. "I meant for the halberd."  
  
"Oh." He flushed. "So?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "(sigh) You're impossible."  
  
He grinned cheesily. "I know."  
  
Kagome glared before giving up with a smile. He might be a smart alec, but he could make her feel better. He was better than some of her old friends at that. She slowly looked down over his shoulder, asking, "Is he still following us? "  
  
"I think we lost him on Second street. I almost feel sorry for the guy."  
  
"You do? Why?"  
  
"Sun's going down in two hours. He's gonna have a great time getting out of here."  
  
Kagome gasped. "We can't leave him like that. He has no idea what he's getting into! They'll eat him alive!"  
  
"Well, what do you want me to do about it?! He's the idiot who followed us!"  
  
"C'mon, Inuyasha! Look, I'll take Kagura the halberd, while you get Miroku out of here, okay?"  
  
"Nuh-uh."  
  
Kagome frowned. "Inuyasha, I mean it. We can't let him get bitten by anything." A thread of steel went into her voice, "Go get him out of here, while I go give this to Kagura."  
  
"Alright, alright. I'll go," he grumbled. "Damn stupid monk. He better appreciate this."  
  
()*&*&%&  
  
Whew. Another chapter done. Hope you all like it.  
  
Please review!! 


	11. Mourning

Hi guys. sorry for the delay in updates, been very busy.

Chap: Mourning

Kagome hurried down the street, ducking into corners and shadows whenever humans came by. The house was in a very seedy part of town, and you really didn't want to walk around with some of the neighbors. Perfect place for vampires, in Kagome's opinion. She sincerely hoped that Inuyasha would find Miroku and get him out of here fast.

As she walked up the steps to the building, an older werewolf opened the door. He was grizzled in the face with grey hair, but he stood tall. For his age, the magic within his blood still kept him young in form. He spoke, "I see you were successful in your mission, young mistress."

"Yay, me," Kagome said sarcastically.

"Mistress, the Lady Kagura is waiting for you in the main sitting room. She orders you to come now."

"I'm comin', I'm comin'," the girl groused.

"Oh, you should take care," the werewolf advised. "The Mistress has had a bad day. She's in a foul mood."

"Oh joy," Kagome said rolling her eyes. She stomped through the hallway, muttering. "Can't even go and change into dry clothes, I'll catch my death of cold, awful old hag----"

The werewolf had to work hard to stifle his facial expression lest he smile. Or worse, laugh out loud.

(&$%#)

Kagome walked in on a very ugly sight. She stopped still, staring in horror. It looked like the vampires were holding some kind of meeting. Most of them were standing around the edges of the room listening to their mistress speak. The few werewolves in the room were by the doors, and most looked distinctly green in the face. They had good reason to look ill.

The dead body of a heavily tattooed woman was off to one side. She couldn't have been thirty years old, with long blonde hair matted with her blood. She had been very pretty. The tattoos were swirled, covering nearly every inch of visible skin and looked like some kind of runes. What looked like a small ball of glowing blue fire was next to her, and it sounded like it was crying.

Kagura was standing, her loose robe soaking up the blood the spurted from the wounds of the dying man at her feet. He too was young and covered in tattoos, the runes so small and fine as to look more like fur than ink on skin. "The next time someone tells your kind to move, fox-man, you should listen." She smirked as she took hold of the man's throat, picking him up off the ground. He gasped, desperately trying to pull air into his starving lungs, hands trying to pry her grip away from him. The vampire's smirk became a full blown smile.

A sickening crack was heard. The man's body went limp, and he fell to the ground.

The little ball of fire cried out, painfully screaming, "Daddy!!"

Kagome gaped in horror. Miko training kicked in unconsciously. '_Oh, gods above in heaven_,' she prayed in the back of her mind, '_let them both find peace in the next world, and protect the little one from such terrible evil.' _

Something odd began to happen. As Kagura walked forward to the ball---no, it was a little boy! The fire had almost completely gone out when the man died, probably his last effort at trying to protect his son. It revealed a tiny boy, maybe four or five years old, with red hair, and still crying in disbelief and pain. As the murderer came closer to the boy, she suddenly stopped. She frowned, puzzled. The vampire reached out a hand to move toward the boy and a loud **ZZAAPPP**!!! was heard.

Her eyes widened in annoyed surprise. "A spirit shield." She suddenly turned her gaze to the stunned priestess in the door way. "You erected a spirit shield around him."  
  
The girl barely hid her surprise, wondering when she'd suddenly manifested powers like that. "You monster," Kagome said softly. She suddenly unfroze from her stance of disbelief and ran over to the boy, the rings of the halberd jangling as she went. She knelt down beside him, easily passing through the ward she'd unknowingly placed on him. She gently picked up the shell-shocked child, taking him in her arms. "Shh, shh," she crooned softly to him. "It's alright, they're in heaven now, she can't hurt them anymore, shh, shh, baby, its okay." The frightened boy stiffened in reflexive shock, but then burrowed into her arms, sobbing so that Kagome thought her heart would break.  
  
She slowly stood up, the boy on her hip, both arms around him protectively. One hand still held the halberd. She looked straight at Kagura. "You psycho bitch. How could you do such a thing?! In front of a child?!"  
  
"Pff. He's just the brat of a fox shaman, nothing more", the old thing shrugged. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I'm beginning to get annoyed with that high and mighty attitude of yours, little girl."  
  
"And I'm already past the point of hating you," Kagome hissed. Her entire body was tensed in rage.  
  
Kagura gave a cruel half smile. "Don't be so snippy. Now hand over my halberd."  
  
Kagome shifted so that she was in a position to move. "Finder's keeper's, you lowlife".  
  
Kagura's eyes snapped open in rage. She maintained her calm fasade though as she took a few steps toward the young woman. "You will not defy me, little girl. Give me the halberd."  
  
The miko suddenly smiled. She slowly began to walk toward the vampire. The poor boy whimpered and shook in her arms, but she quieted him with a low humming tune. When she was less than ten feet away, she stopped and spoke to her sire. "You want it? You got it." The girl suddenly pulled back the arm with the weapon and let fly with all the demonic speed and strength she possessed.  
  
Kagura tried to dodge, but she had dangerously underestimated the 'little girl.' She reacted more slowly than she could have, too stunned that a weak young girl had tried to really attack her to process as fast as normal. The holy weapon struck her in the thigh, passing through to the ground, pinning her to the spot. The wind witch screamed as the holy aura flared to painful life. "You bitch!! How dare you strike me!! _Aaahhhhh!!"_  
  
She reached blindly, calling wildly with magic and a red fan came to her hand. Still writhing in agony, she screamed, "_Wind blades dance_!!" Wind so forceful it came like knives sliced throughout the room striking vampire and werewolf alike. Kagome screamed as she felt it rush on her, curling reflexively to the ground around the boy.  
  
The old thing screamed it again, sending more winds raging across the room. Walls blasted apart, knocking out supports to some of the rooms above. Timber cracked ominously before sending down a tidal wave of wood, metal and glass to the floor below. Dozens screamed in pain and fled, more were crushed underneath the debris.  
  
The wind witch's mouth twisted painfully in an attempt to smile. The young bitch was surely dead. The smile turned to an awful grimace. The aura was still crackling around the halberd whenever Kagura tried to touch it. No matter what she did, she couldn't pull it out of her beloved flesh. A great deal of her had been burned beyond regeneration. One leg was all but gone, burned away. The other was still pinned through the bone. Blackened crispy skin was all over her torso, arms and face.  
  
As the dust settled, one figure could be seen, still standing where she'd been all along. Blue fire danced around her, and the boy could be seen, mercifully unconscious in her arms. The girl opened her clenched eyes, surprise written all over her face. "We're alive?" she asked softly. She slowly took a step forward.  
  
The fire itself answered her as it faded out. "_**You gave us your blessing and protection to our son. This was our repayment to you and protection for him. Take care of our son, lady miko**_."  
  
Kagome nodded in understanding as she walked. '_Thank you, shamans. I promise, I will look after him,_' the girl prayed. She glanced down at the boy. '_Poor little kid. What a terrible thing to see._' She came upon the wind witch, flinching at the remaining piece of her.  
  
The old thing glared up at her, coughing weakly. "Not........dead.....yet, you.....little......."  
  
Kagome reached out with her hand to take the halberd, ignoring the creature below. As much as she hated to see others hurt, she couldn't make herself feel too sorry for that thing. She meant to pull it free and hopefully return it to Miroku. With any luck, he could finish the job on Kagura, once Inuyasha came back for her.  
  
Movement caught her eye. The other vampires, those who'd run free of debris or who'd crawled free of it, were stirring. Their eyes glowed a rancid green light in the dim light, and they all looked really ticked off. Understandably so. She'd just attacked their sire, that some of them felt loyal to.  
  
She would need the halberd to try and fight them off. Or at least take some down with her. '_Inuyasha_,' she thought desperately, '_where are you?!_' She dodged a swipe from Kagura's claws, and the moment she touched the Amokoi, bright white light flashed..........  
  
(&$%#)  
  
the girl slowly roused. She winced at the pounding in her head. "No more cough drops," she muttered. "Ever." Her surroundings slowly began to make themselves known. The room she was in was dark, but not so that she couldn't see. Faint light streamed through the curtains, pulled tight over large paladin windows. The cool feel of silk came all around her. Sheets? Her sight adjusted somewhat. A bedroom?  
  
Suddenly, Kagome was hit by a stench so awful she nearly up-chucked her previous meal. The entire room reeked of old, rotting, molded blood, sweat, sex, and very bad French cigarettes. Undeniably too, came the strong smell of the Vampire Kagura.  
  
Kagome wrenched herself up, groaning loudly as she did so. Every muscle she had ached, and she felt stiff. Any lingering grogginess was quickly lifted by her confusion. A small rustle by her side made her freeze. She slowly looked over, expecting something nasty—  
  
And saw the little, red-headed boy, sleeping soundly next to her side. He was barely snoring, and he looked adorable. The girl took a moment to really look at him. He was very small, and his hair was slightly frizzy. He was pale in the face, but had darker skin near his hands and feet. A small blue shirt and a pair of brown pants completed his clothing. He hiccupped softly, and you could easily see from his pale face that he'd been crying again.  
  
A swell of pity filled her heart. This poor little guy had seen such terrible things in a short time. She could only imagine how awful it would be to see your parents murdered in front of you when you were so young and could do nothing.  
  
A sound by the door reached her, and it slowly opened. She tensed, to either fight or flee, she had no idea.  
  
"Kagome?" came a low voice. A head appeared around the door, and triangles on top of it twitched. Gold eyes glinted in the faint light.  
  
Her eyes widened, "Inuyasha?"  
  
"You're awake?" he asked, walking into the room. He sat down beside her, an odd look on his face. Suddenly, he shook himself, as if clearing his head. "Are you alright, mistress?"  
  
"After witnessing murder, half the house collapsing, and nearly being killed? Yeah, I'm fine," she said sarcastically. She knew that if Inuyasha was here, she was probably safe to make jokes. "And what's with the mistress stuff? You've never called me that."  
  
He just stared at her. "You killed Kagura."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You killed the wind witch. All the other vampires are gone too."  
  
"Huh? What? All of them?"  
  
"You know that part of the stories that say if you kill the head vampire, all the others die? Guess what."  
  
Her eyes went huge in surprise, "But I didn't---"  
  
"Well, technically, you didn't. You purified her, but it's the same thing. You hit everybody with that weird light."  
  
"What li---you mean that flash?" she frowned. Gah, that was bright."  
  
"Yeah it was. And all the frickin' noise you made, bringing down the damn house—Can you say, migraine?"  
  
"I've got three words for you, bub. Extra Strength Tylenol."  
  
He laughed slightly before getting serious. "Do you know what this means?"  
  
Kagome raised a confused eyebrow. "No. Am I in trouble?"  
  
"Yes and no. You just became the head vampire of the wind clan," he answered. "You gained all of Kagura's powers when you killed her. You can make new vampires, use wind spells, all of that. That's why you're in her room. You get the best the house has of everything."  
  
She cocked her head, trying to give herself time to process all of this. It was an awful lot to take in. She'd gotten rid of her sire, along with every other vampire in the entire house. Kagome finally stammered out, "So does that mean I get Sesshomaru?"


	12. Sesshomaru belongs to

Been a while, but now I'm back!

No own inu!

Chap: Sesshomaru belongs to.......

Inuyasha just glared at her. "That is not even funny."

"I'm sorry, it's just—HEY! I just woke up here, buddy, and then you tell me that I'm now the leader, and you're looking at me like I'm a freak, and I have had a very, very crummy night, mister! I think I have a right to be a little---"

"I am _not_ looking at you like you're a"--

A soft, shaking voice interrupted their tirade. "Mommy? Mommy, where are you?"

Kagome immediately regretted yelling while the little boy was right beside her. "Hey, now, honey, its okay. I'm right here beside you, and we're in a bed in a different part of the house." The boy started to curl up in fright at being in an unfamiliar place. She slowly reached out and brought him into her arms. "But you're safe now, I won't let anything happen to you, or let anyone bad near you. See?" She motioned towards Inuyasha. "He's Inuyasha, a werewolf, and a friend of mine. My name's Kagome Higurashi." She stroked his hair out of his face, soothing him. "What's your name, honey?"

"Sh-Shippo Edigawa," he answered quietly. "Where did the bad lady go? Is she still here?!"

"No, no, sweetheart, she's gone now."

"Yeah, kid, Kagome killed her," Inuyasha said with a hint of pride in his voice.

The boy's eyes went huge in surprise. "You did?! How?!"

"She used the Amokoi halberd," a new voice spoke up. Inuyasha whirled. "Dammit, monk, I told you to stay downstairs!"

"I did. But when I introduced myself to a Miss—Mayu, was it? She seemed most upset with me and sent me up here to stick with you."

Inuyasha got a very interesting tic in his eyebrow. "You groped her, didn't you?"

"Well"—

"Kagome, I cannot believe you actually wanted me to save this sorry ass's life! He stopped and groped damn near every girl we saw on the way here!"

Kagome tried to repress a smile. "Hello, Miroku. What brings you here?"

"Well, I did want my halberd back for one." He nodded to where the staff leaned against the wall in the bedroom. "Not to mention when Inuyasha picked me up, while we were on our way here, there seemed to be some sort of explosion of light. I was curious, so I followed after him. He seemed rather worried about you"—

Bang! An unconscious monk hit the floor.

"Wha—Inuyasha! You shouldn't hit people like that!"

The werewolf growled to himself. "When they go on about nonsense like that, you ought to."

Shippou glanced around from his perch in the girl's arms. "Um, Miss Higurashi?"

"Oh, Shippou, you can just call me Kagome, if you want."

"Um, Kagome." His voice never once lost that hesitant tone as he asked, "May I have something to eat?"

"Of course! Hey, Inuyasha, what time is it?"

"Beyond time for you to get a watch, apparently." He looked at his wrist. "It's around noon."

"Really? Is there any lunch ready?"

He frowned at her. "Can't you smell it yourself?"

"Over this room's god-awful smell?"

"Nose is clogged, huh?

"Like an old air freshener," she replied.

He sniffed the air and nodded. "Mayu must already be making it. I'll bring you some."

"Oh I can get it"—

"Freeze!"

She froze before getting indignant. "Hey now"—

"You and the kid have been out of it for two days. You need to rest. I'll go get the damn food. Miroku, get up. You're coming too."

He stirred from his spot on the floor. "But I thought I might keep the lady company"—

"She's got the brat, and I ain't letting you near her while her defenses are down. Now move it or lose it, monk." They both left the room.

While they were gone, Kagome explored the room a little. She took one sniff of the closet and decided that the contents should just be burned. The girl had to admit, she was unsteady on her feet, so maybe she should have listened to him. Shippou kept sending her nervous glances, finally saying, "Maybe he's right, you shouldn't be up yet."

"But I need to get some clean clothes on, and maybe find some for you too."

He winced. "All my stuff's at the station."

"The station?"

"My family, they're all shamans. Gypsies, I guess is the right word, that's what people call us. We mostly stick to the country, but we had to come into town to buy some supplies for the spell Daddy wanted to cast. He put the wagon at the train station so people would leave it alone while he worked."

"What did he want to do?"

"He wanted to make a spell to purify something. I don't know what it was, but the bad lady came after us for it. She told the vampires to bring us to her, and then"—(hic)—"she"---the boy began to cry softly.

Kagome picked him back up in her arms, rocking him slowly. She deftly wiped away his tears with the edge of her shirt, "Its going to be okay. I'll take care of you. Is there anyone else in your family we can take you to that you want to go?"

"My—my uncle lives with another band of shamen. They live in Musashi, out by"—

"Musashi?! That's where I live!"

"You do?"

"Yeah, I was in town with my aunt when the vampires caught me---holy cow! Aunt Kisa's going to kill me when she finds out what I've been doing! I better call her so she won't worry anymore."

"Do you think, you could call my uncle?"

She raised surprised eyebrows. "Shamans have telephones?"

"It's the millennium for crying out loud," the boy said with exasperation. "The whole tribe's got a cell phone plan."

"Who's got a cell phone?" Inuyasha asked as he brought in a tray. "Shamans, apparently," she paraphrased back to him. He 'humphed' at her as he brought the tray over. It was covered with plates of pancakes, bacon, sausages, and all the light fluffy scrambled eggs a girl could eat. Kagome almost drooled as he set it down on the nightstand. "Breakfast for lunch! Oh Inuyasha, I think I love you."

He froze, nearly panicking, "What?!"

"You brought the maple syrup too!" She crowed happily. She reached out for a plate, and then paused. "Shippou, which one's your favorite?"

"Me?"

"Well sure, this is yours too, you know."

"Pancakes!" He squealed. "With lots of syrup."

She smiled as she handed the cakes over to the boy. Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha. "Thanks for breakfast in bed."

He breathed a slight sigh of relief and mild disappointment. "Feh. "

"Hey, where's Miroku?"

"Right here, my lady," he said from the doorway. He too carried a tray, also loaded with foods. Setting it down, he moved to sit beside her on the bed. A warning growl from Inuyasha changed his mind and he switched to a chair on the other side of the room. "So, Kagome"—

Inu growled again as Kagome looked up from her eggs.

"Er-Miss Higurashi," he amended. "If you don't mind my asking, what are you going to do now?"

She paused. "I really don't know. I mean, I have to let my family know what's going on so

that they don't' worry about me. And I want to find a way to get Shippou back to his family," she said, smiling at the little one. The shaman boy looked up from his pancakes and smiled at her. "Thanks, Kagome!"

"Chew first, talk later," she said, wagging a finger at him. She started at a low growl that came in the room. Everyone glanced around, till they caught a look at a blushing werewolf.

"Inuyasha, haven't you eaten yet?"

"Nah, too busy."

"Well, here, have some," she gestured to the plates of food. "Eat as much as you want." He stared at her, then sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing a plate of food as he went.

"And, about my first question"—

The werewolf rolled his eyes. "Yes, dammit, technically, Sesshomaru is your pet now." He almost glared at her, "You want him?"

"N-no," she said, startled by his intensity. "I just want you."

Miroku nearly snorted at the phrase, opened his mouth to say something, and was knocked out by Inuyasha's shoe being thrown at him.

&())&

Filler now, more to come. Thanks for coming, please review!


	13. Making plans and finding maps

Sorry its been so long, lots of term papers. Hope you enjoy this chap!

Chap: Making plans and finding maps

Once everyone had eaten, Miroku offered to take the trays downstairs so Kagome and Inuyasha could make some plans. He took the fox boy with him, telling the kit that those two needed some alone time.

Which in a way was true. They had a lot to do, and Kagome had a lot of questions.

"So what exactly am I supposed to do now?" she asked.

Inuyasha frowned, "Huh?"

"What do vampire leaders do in their free time? Or even when they're busy?"

"Oh, um.....well, hell, I don't know. Boss us around and stuff."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, but to do what? You might not believe this, but I've never had to run a werewolf-slash-vampire clan before. I'm a little lost for my first day on the job."

An irritated werewolf crossed his arms and glared at her. "Anyone ever tell you you're sarcastic?"

"Anyone ever tell you you're a master of the obvious?" She spat with the same fire.

"Am I interrupting something?" A voice said from the doorway. Both teens whirled to face the newcomer, Inuyasha automatically going into a protective stance by Kagome.

Sesshomaru almost smiled at the sight of the two as he came through the door, but kept his face passive. "Good morning, my lady."

"G-good morning, Mr. Sesshomaru." Inuyasha snorted at her name for the lord, so she quickly grabbed a pillow and knocked him out of the bed with it. "Be quiet, you!" she hissed.

That made the head werewolf smile outright. "My lady, have you slept well?"

"Oh," she blushed. Being unconscious didn't count as sleeping, but waking in this particular room had not been something she'd liked. "I-it was fine. Um, I don't mean to sound rude, but could I go back to my old room? Not that this one isn't"—she groped for any polite word she could think of—"_lovely_—but I would prefer my own, if that's alright?"

Sesshomaru nodded in complete understanding. "Of course, my lady."

"Mr. Sesshomaru? Sir? You knew Kagura better than anyone, right?"

"You could say that," he replied with a barely noticeable shudder.

She didn't even want to know what memories could make his body shake in revulsion, and neither did Inuyasha. "What exactly should I do now? Is there anything I need to do, or know?"

Sesshomaru thought for a moment. "You have killed all of Kagura's vampires, leaving the werewolves your only defense. Other vampires will soon notice that there are no more killings in your territory, and come to claim your properties."

The girl paused, thinking, a worried look on her face. Inuyasha noticed this and hesitantly touched her arm. She looked up and smiled at him before going back to her thoughts.

She spoke, "This territory. Do we need to defend it? Can't we let them have it? I don't want to make anymore vampires."

"They will come for the house, all of Kagura's spell books, any sort of magical objects she possessed, and the werewolves she ruled," Sesshomaru replied. "We are too valuable to be let go, in the eyes of other clans."

Kagome started. "But—but that's like claiming slaves."

Sesshomaru hardly blinked as he calmly told her, "But that's what we are. In the eyes of vampires, we _are_ slaves. Their's to create, buy, sell, use, or kill as they wish." He blinked at her shocked look. "Haven't you noticed that most of the werewolves here are surprised by the way you treat Inuyasha? Most vampires believe that we are lower than humans, more like highly evolved animals. None of them would have ever gone so far as to give their blood to save a werewolf's life, and I have never heard of such a thing happening before. All except for you and Inuyasha."

Kagome was stunned by his words. She almost stammered, "How—how could anyone treat another person like that?" She covered her mouth in horror. "Oh, gods." Tears began to slip down her cheeks.

Inuyasha nearly freaked, "Hey! Hey now, don't cry." He rooted desperately in his pockets and found a wad of tissue. The boy held it out to her and she took it quietly. He really didn't like it when girls cried, and he hated it when Kagome cried. It made him want to go out and kill something. But this crying was worse than anything. This was the crying that didn't make any noise, just silent tears combined with a heart-breaking sad face. "Oh, come on, don't. Don't cry anymore, Kagome, okay?"

"I—I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" He frowned in confusion. "For what?"

"I'm s-sorry that this ever happened. I—I wish that I could make all of this go away." She took his hand in her own, and some of her tears dripped onto their joined hands.

It finally hit Inuyasha that she was crying for the fate of every werewolf out there, forced to serve a cruel master. She was even crying for him.

Sesshomaru was amazed, though he didn't show it. This girl's compassion was extraordinarily deep. "My lady?"

She wiped away the last of her tears. "I'm alright. Sorry for dripping all over you," she said to her werewolf. Inuyasha just blushed, but didn't let go of her hand.

"I think—Lord Sesshomaru? Is there a way to free the werewolves?"

Both men gaped at her. "_What?"_

"Is there a way to free the werewolves?" She repeated. Her voice became steely as she said, "I will not let _anyone_ force you into service again. There _must_ be a way to get the spell off you."

It took some effort to collect himself enough for the lord to answer, "There are rumors of a sacred jewel with the power to purify vampires and werewolves, turning them into ordinary humans. Kagura want the halberd to become powerful enough to claim this jewel as her own from the Gypsy tribe that guards it."

Kagome frowned. "What would Kagura want with something that could free all her servants? She didn't strike me as the nicest person around."

"Think about it," Inuyasha answered. "If you could turn every vampire and werewolf back into a human? She could turn all her enemies into nothing but ordinary mortals and kill them all."

Kagome paled at the thought. "Oh."

"The young boy's parents were believed to know the location of this tribe, and that is why they were brought here," Sesshomaru went on. He paused, "Do you want us to go and find this tribe for you, my lady?"

She started. "What? Um, no—I mean yes! I mean—oh, hell, give me a minute. I need to straighten my thoughts."

"We could be here for a long time then," Inuyasha said without thinking.

_Bang!_

"Owww!! Hey, what was that for?!" An irate young werewolf glared from the floor at his senior. The older man growled. "She may be kind, but you should not disrespect her like that. She is still you mistress."

"Lord Sesshomaru!" She called, and he paused. "It's alright, he's just being himself." She frowned down at him, "But that was mean, you hairy jerk."

"Who you calling a jerk?!"

"The only one in this room, dummy!" She turned back to face the lord. "First things first. Can you show me where the other territories are? I mean, if we wanted to go anywhere, what's the safest path to take?"

"I can show you Kagura's maps, they mark the most current standing of the vampire territories." He cocked an eyebrow in curiosity at her, too polite to ask.

She smiled in return, "I want to get out of the city and get back to my home. I have a plan."

"More frightening words were never spoken," Inuyasha muttered.

(&&

Hope you like it, please review!


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